System and method of radio resource management for radio access networks

ABSTRACT

A system and method provide for receiving an indication that a user device has been inactive; accessing a configuration table; identifying, based on the configuration table, a number of user devices that can be in an RRC inactive state; determining a current number of user devices that are in the RRC inactive state; transitioning the user device to the RRC inactive state when the current number of user devices is less than the threshold number of user devices; determining a priority associated with the user device when the current number equals the threshold number; and transitioning the user device to the RRC inactive state or an RRC idle state based on the priority of the user device.

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/597,091, filed on Oct. 9, 2019, titled “System and Method ofRadio Resource Management for Radio Access Networks” the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

When a user device connects to a radio access network (RAN) operated bya wireless network provider and initiates a data session via the RAN,the user device enters into a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connectedstate. In current wireless networks, during periods of inactivity, theuser device enters an RRC idle state, in which the user device isdisconnected from the RAN. Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR)introduce a third state, an RRC inactive state, in which, during periodsof inactivity, the user device may still be connected to the RAN. Inorder to avoid overwhelming the network it may be desirable to limit thenumber of user devices that are able to be in the RRC inactive state atone time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating RRC states of user devices with respectto a RAN in accordance with an exemplary implementation;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary environment in which systems and methodsdescribed herein may be implemented;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary configuration of components implementedin a portion of the network of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration of logic componentsincluded in one or more of the devices of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate exemplary configuration tables; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating processing associated with radioresource management in accordance with an exemplary implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the sameor similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does notlimit the invention.

Implementations described herein relate to transitioning user devices toan RRC inactive state or an RRC idle state based on prioritiesassociated with the user devices. Due to limited resources at a basestation, all user devices connected to the base station may not be ableto be in a connected state at one time. Therefore, after a period ofinactivity, a user device connected to the base station may transitionto an inactive state or an idle state. Because a user device is stillconnected to the network when in the inactive state, a user device inthe inactive state may consume more resources than a user device in theidle state. In addition, both a user device and a base station may storeaccess stratum context while in the inactive state. In order to avoidcongestion at the base station, a limit or threshold may be placed on anumber of user devices connected to the base station that may be in theinactive state at one time. The limit or threshold may be per basestation and may be based on a cell deployment scenario.

Because user devices in the inactive state are still connected to theRAN, unlike in the idle state in which the user device is disconnectedfrom the RAN, a user device may transition from the inactive state tothe active state much faster than a user device may transition from theidle state to the active state. In addition, the inactive state mayreduce latency due to a decrease in signaling and, in turn, may reducethe signaling overhead of the system. Due to the decreased latency andsignaling and other factors, transitioning the user device to theinactive state may increase the battery life of the user device.Therefore, it may be advantageous for a user device to transition to theinactive state instead of the idle state during periods of inactivity.When in the inactive state, a user device may be able to select a PublicLand Mobile Network (PLMN), receive system broadcast information,perform cell re-selection if the user device is mobile, receive pagingmessages, and perform other functions.

Since the number of user devices that may enter the inactive state maybe limited, a user device may be transitioned to the inactive statebased on a priority associated with the user device. For example, whenthe limit of user devices in the inactive state has been reached and auser device become inactive, if the user device has a low priority, theuser device may be transitioned to the idle state. Similarly, if theuser device has a high priority, the user device may be transitioned tothe inactive state and a user device with a lower priority may betransitioned to the idle state.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment 100 in which auser device may transition between RRC states according toimplementations herein. Environment 100 may include RRC connected state110, RRC inactive state 120, and RRC idle state 130.

A user device may initially enter RRC connected state 110 when the userdevice connects to a network and begins a data session. For example, theuser device may be in RRC connected state 110 when accessing content onthe network, when downloading content from the network, when streamingcontent from the network, when there is an active data session betweenthe user device and a base station, etc. When the user device has beeninactive for a period of time, the user device may enter either RRCinactive state 120 or RRC idle state 130.

When the user device becomes inactive, a base station to which the userdevice is attached may determine whether a maximum number of userdevices are currently in RRC inactive state 120. For example, the basestation may be associated with a threshold indicating a maximum numberof users in RRC inactive state 120 that the base station can support. Ifthe threshold number of user devices in RRC inactive state 120 has notbeen met, the user device may enter RRC inactive state 120. When userdevice is in RRC inactive state 120, the user device may still beconnected to the network, but the active connection may be suspended.When the user device becomes active, the user device may quicklyre-enter RRC connected state 110 by resuming the connection with thenetwork.

When the user device becomes inactive and the threshold for the numberof user devices in RRC inactive state 120 for the base station has beenmet, a priority associated with the user device may be determined. Thepriority may be determined based on, for example, a user type associatedwith the user device, a service/bearer type associated with the userdevice, a user history behavior, a user mobile speed, and additionalfactors. A method for determining the priority for the user device willbe further discussed below. If the priority determined for the userdevice is lower than the priorities of all of the user devices in RRCinactive state 120, the user device may transition to RRC idle state130, in which the user device is released from the network. When theuser device becomes active, the user device may establish a newconnection to the network and the user device may enter RRC connectedstate 110.

If the priority determined for the user device is not lower than thepriorities of all of the user devices in RRC inactive state 120, theuser device may enter RRC inactive state 120 and the connection with thenetwork may be suspended. In this case, since the threshold for users inRRC inactive state 120 has been met, the user device with the lowestpriority that is currently in RRC inactive state 120 may be releasedfrom the network and may transition to RRC idle state 130. As shown inFIG. 1, a user device may transition between RRC connected state 110 andRRC inactive state 120 and a user device may transition between RRCconnected state 110 and RRC idle state 130. In addition, the user devicemay transition from RRC inactive state 120 to RRC idle state 130.However, in an exemplary implementation, the user device may nottransition from RRC idle state 130 to RRC inactive state 120.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary environment 200 in whichsystems and methods described herein may be implemented. Environment 200may include user equipment (UE) 210-1 through 210-N, base stations 220-1through 220-N, service provider 230, and network 240.

UEs 210-1 through 210-N (individually referred to as UE 210-x, UE 210 orUE device 210, and collectively as UEs 210 or UE devices 210) mayinclude a mobile device, such as wireless or cellular telephone device(e.g., a conventional cell phone with data processing capabilities), asmart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) that can include aradiotelephone, etc. UEs 210 may also include any type of mobilecomputer device or system, such as a personal computer (PC), a laptop, atablet computer, a notebook, a netbook, a wearable computer (e.g., awrist watch, eyeglasses, etc.), a game playing device, a music playingdevice, a home appliance device, a home monitoring device, etc., thatmay include communication functionality. UEs 210 may further includeInternet of things (IoT) devices, such as narrow band IoT devicesoperating in accordance with the 3GPP standard, devices employingmachine-to-machine (M2M) communication, such as Machine-TypeCommunication (MTC), a type of M2M communication standard developed bythe 3GPP.

UEs 210 may connect to network 240 via an air interface and to otherdevices in environment 200 (e.g., service provider 230) via anyconventional technique, such as wired, wireless, optical connections ora combination of these techniques. UE 210 and the entity associated withUE 210 (e.g., the user of UE 210) may be referred to collectively as UE210 in the description below.

As described herein, network 240 may include base stations 220-1 to220-N (referred to herein collectively as “base stations 220” andindividually as “base station 220”). Each base station 220 may service aset of UEs 210. For example, base station 220-1 may service UEs 210-1and 210-2, and base station 220-N may service UE 210-N. Base station 220may include a 5G base station (e.g., a next generation node B (gNodeB))that includes one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers (alsoreferred to as “cells” and/or “base station sectors”) facing particulardirections. For example, base station 220 may include three RFtransceivers and each RF transceiver may service a 120° sector of a 360°field of view. Each RF transceiver may include an antenna array. Theantenna array may include an array of controllable antenna elementsconfigured to send and receive 5G NR wireless signals via one or moreantenna beams. The antenna elements may be digitally controllable toelectronically tilt, or adjust the orientation of, an antenna beam in avertical direction and/or horizontal direction. In some implementations,the antenna elements may additionally be controllable via mechanicalsteering using one or more motors associated with each antenna element.The antenna array may serve k UEs 210 and may simultaneously generate upto k antenna beams. A particular antenna beam may service multiple UEs210. In some implementations, base station 220 may also include a FourthGeneration (4G) base station (e.g., an evolved NodeB (eNodeB)).

Service provider 230 may include one or more computer devices andsystems associated with providing wireless services via network 240. Forexample, service provider 230 may be an entity associated with network240. Service provider 230 may maintain information regarding serviceplans for large numbers of users (also referred to herein as customersor subscribers) and manage network resource usage by the users. Forexample, service provider 230 may store user profiles that includecriteria associated with each UE 210. The criteria may enable the RAN todetermine priorities associated with UEs 210.

Network 240 may include one or more wired, wireless and/or opticalnetworks that are capable of receiving and transmitting data, voiceand/or video signals. For example, network 240 may include one or morepublic switched telephone networks (PSTNs) or other type of switchednetwork. Network 240 may also include one or more wireless networks andmay include a number of transmission towers for receiving wirelesssignals and forwarding the wireless signals toward the intendeddestination. Network 240 may further include one or more satellitenetworks, one or more packet switched networks, such as an Internetprotocol (IP) based network, a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), a long term evolution(LTE) network, a 4G network, a next generation, e.g., (5G) network, aWiFi network, a Bluetooth network, an intranet, the Internet, or anothertype of network that is capable of transmitting data. Network 240provides wireless packet-switched services and wireless Internetprotocol (IP) connectivity to UEs 210 to provide, for example, data,voice, and/or multimedia services.

The exemplary configuration illustrated in FIG. 2 is provided forsimplicity. It should be understood that a typical environment 200 mayinclude more or fewer devices than illustrated in FIG. 2. For example,environment 200 may include a large number (e.g., thousands or more) ofUEs 210 and multiple service providers 230. In addition, network 240 mayinclude additional elements, such as eNBs, gNBs, base stations,switches, gateways, routers, monitoring devices, etc., that aid inrouting data and determining whether to grant/deny prioritized access tonetwork resources, as described in detail below.

In addition, various functions are described below as being performed byparticular components in environment 200. In other implementations,various functions described as being performed by one device may beperformed by another device or multiple other devices, and/or variousfunctions described as being performed by multiple devices may becombined and performed by a single device.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating a portion of network240. In the implementation depicted in FIG. 3, network 240 is a nextgeneration network, such as a 5G network, which includes a NR corenetwork.

Network 240 may include a gNodeB 310 (corresponding to base station220), an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 320, a User PlaneFunction (UPF) 330, a Session Management Function (SMF) 340, anApplication Function (AF) 350, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 352, aPolicy Control Function (PCF) 354, a Network Repository Function (NRF)356, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 358, and a Network SliceSelection Function (NSSF) 360. While FIG. 3 depicts a single gNodeB 310,AMF 320, UPF 330, SMF 340, AF 350, UDM 352, PCF 354, NRF 356, NEF 358,and/or NSSF 360 for exemplary illustration purposes, in practice, FIG. 3may include multiple gNodeBs 310, AMFs 320, UPFs 330, SMFs 340, AFs 350,UDMs 352, PCFs 354, NRFs 356, NEFs 358, and NSSFs 360.

gNodeB 310 may include one or more devices (e.g., base stations) andother components and functionality that enable UE 210 to wirelesslyconnect to network 240 using 5G NR Radio Access Technology (RAT). Forexample, gNodeB 310 may include one or more cells, with each cellincluding a wireless transceiver with an antenna array configured formillimeter-wave wireless communication. gNodeB 310 may implement one ormore RAN slices to partition network 240. gNodeB 310 may communicatewith AMF 320 using an N2 interface 322 and communicate with UPF 330using an N3 interface 332.

AMF 320 may perform registration management, connection management,reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercepts, ShortMessage Service (SMS) transport between UE 210 and an SMS function (notshown in FIG. 3), session management messages transport between UE 210and SMF 340, access authentication and authorization, location servicesmanagement, functionality to support non-3GPP access networks, and/orother types of management processes. In some implementations, AMF 320may implement some or all of the functionality of managing RAN slices ingNodeB 310 and network 240. AMF 320 may be accessible by other functionnodes via a Namf interface 324.

UPF 330 may maintain an anchor point for intra/inter-RAT mobility,maintain an external Packet Data Unit (PDU) point of interconnect to adata network, perform packet routing and forwarding, perform the userplane part of policy rule enforcement, perform packet inspection,perform lawful intercept, perform traffic usage reporting, enforcequality of service (QoS) policies in the user plane, perform uplinktraffic verification, perform transport level packet marking, performdownlink packet buffering, send and forward an “end marker” to a RadioAccess Network (RAN) node (e.g., gNodeB 310), and/or perform other typesof user plane processes. UPF 330 may communicate with SMF 340 using anN4 interface 334 and connect to service provider 230 via a WAN using anN6 interface 336.

SMF 340 may perform session establishment, modification, and/or release,perform Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management,perform Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) functions, performselection and control of UPF 330, configure traffic steering at UPF 330to guide traffic to the correct destination, terminate interfaces towardPCF 354, perform lawful intercepts, charge data collection, supportcharging interfaces, control and coordinate of charging data collection,termination of session management parts of network access stratum (NAS)messages, perform downlink data notification, manage roamingfunctionality, and/or perform other types of control plane processes formanaging user plane data. SMF 340 may be accessible via an Nsmfinterface 342.

AF 350 may provide services associated with a particular application,such as, for example, application influence on traffic routing,accessing NEF 358, interacting with a policy framework for policycontrol, and/or other types of applications. AF 350 may be accessiblevia a Naf interface 362.

UDM 352 may maintain subscription information for UE 210, managesubscriptions, generate authentication credentials, handle useridentification, perform access authorization based on subscription data,perform network function registration management, maintain serviceand/or session continuity by maintaining assignment of SMF 340 forongoing sessions, support SMS delivery, support lawful interceptfunctionality, and/or perform other processes associated with managinguser data.

PCF 354 may support policies to control network behavior, provide policyrules to control plane functions (e.g., to SMF 340), access subscriptioninformation relevant to policy decisions, execute policy decisions,and/or perform other types of processes associated with policyenforcement. PCF 354 may be accessible via Npcf interface 366. PCF 354may specify QoS policies based on QoS flow identity (QFI) consistentwith 5G network standards.

NRF 356 may support a service discovery function and maintain a profileof available network function (NF) instances and their supportedservices. An NF profile may include an NF instance identifier (ID), anNF type, a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID associated with the NF,a network slice ID associated with the NF, capacity information for theNF, service authorization information for the NF, supported servicesassociated with the NF, endpoint information for each supported serviceassociated with the NF, and/or other types of NF information. NRF 356may be accessible via an Nnrf interface 368.

NEF 358 may expose capabilities, events, and/or status to other NFs,including third party NFs, AFs, edge computing NFs, and/or other typesof NFs. For example, NEF 358 may provide capabilities and events/statusof UE 210 to other devices/elements in network 240. Furthermore, NEF 358may secure provisioning of information from external applications tonetwork 240, translate information between network 240 anddevices/networks external to access network 120, support a Packet FlowDescription (PFD) function, and/or perform other types of networkexposure functions. NEF 358 may be accessible via Nnef interface 370.

NSSF 360 may select a set of network slice instances to serve aparticular UE 210, determine network slice selection assistanceinformation (NSSAI), determine a particular AMF 320 to serve aparticular UE 210, and/or perform other types of processes associatedwith network slice selection or management. In some implementations,NSSF 360 may implement some or all of the functionality of managing RANslices in gNodeB 310 and network 240. NSSF 360 may be accessible viaNnssf interface 372.

Although FIG. 3 shows exemplary components of network 240, in otherimplementations, network 240 may include fewer components, differentcomponents, differently arranged components, or additional componentsthan depicted in FIG. 3. Additionally or alternatively, one or morecomponents of network 240 may perform functions described as beingperformed by one or more other components of network 240. For example,network 240 may include additional function nodes not shown in FIG. 3,such as an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a Non-3GPPInterworking Function (N3IWF), a Unified Data Repository (UDR), anUnstructured Data Storage Network Function (UDSF), an SMS function(SMSF), a 5G Equipment Identity Register (5G-EIR) function, a LocationManagement Function (LMF), a Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP)function, and/or other types of functions. Furthermore, while particularinterfaces have been described with respect to particular function nodesin FIG. 3, additionally or alternatively, network 240 may include areference point architecture that includes point-to-point interfacesbetween particular function nodes.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing exemplary components of a networkdevice 400 according to an embodiment. Network device 400 may includeone or more network elements illustrated in FIG. 2 and/or FIG. 3, suchas, for example, UE 210, base station 220, server provider 230, AMF 320,SMF 340, UDM 352, and/or NEF 358, etc. In some embodiments, there may bea plurality of network devices 400 providing functionality of one ormore network elements. Alternatively, one network device 400 may performthe functionality of any plurality of network elements. Network device400 may include a bus 410, a processor 420, a memory 430, storage device440, a network interface 450, input device 460, and an output device470.

Bus 410 provides a path that permits communication among the componentsof network device 400. Processor 420 may include any type of single-coreprocessor, multi-core processor, microprocessor, latch-based processor,and/or processing logic (or families of processors, microprocessors,and/or processing logics) that interprets and executes instructions. Inother embodiments, processor 420 may include an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA),and/or another type of integrated circuit or processing logic. Forexample, processor 420 may use any operating system, which may includevarieties of the Windows, UNIX, and/or Linux operating systems.Processor 420 may also use high-level analysis software packages and/orcustom software written in any programming and/or scripting languagesfor interacting with other network entities that are communicativelycoupled to network 240.

Memory 430 may include any type of dynamic storage device that may storeinformation and/or instructions, for execution by processor 420, and/orany type of non-volatile storage device that may store information foruse by processor 420. For example, memory 430 may include a randomaccess memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device, a readonly memory (ROM) device or another type of static storage device,and/or a removable form of memory, such as a flash memory. Storagedevice 440 may include any type of on-board device suitable for storinglarge amounts of data, and may include one or more hard drives, solidstate drives, and/or various types of redundant array of independentdisks (RAID) arrays. In an embodiment, storage device 440 may storeprofile data associated with UEs 210.

Network interface 450 may include a transceiver that enables networkdevice 400 to communicate with other devices and/or systems in networkenvironment 200. Network interface 450 may be configured to exchangedata with devices via wired communications (e.g., conductive wire,twisted pair cable, coaxial cable, transmission line, fiber optic cable,and/or waveguide, etc.), or a combination of wired and wirelesscommunications. In other embodiments, network interface 450 mayinterface with network 240 using a wireless communications channel, suchas, for example, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and/or visual optics,etc. Network interface 450 may include a transmitter that convertsbaseband signals to RF signals and/or a receiver that converts RFsignals to baseband signals. Network interface 450 may be coupled to oneor more antennas for transmitting and receiving RF signals. Networkinterface 450 may include a logical component that includes input and/oroutput ports, input and/or output systems, and/or other input and outputcomponents that facilitate the transmission/reception of data to/fromother devices. For example, network interface 450 may include a networkinterface card (e.g., Ethernet card) for wired communications and/or awireless network interface (e.g., a WiFi) card for wirelesscommunications. Network interface 450 may also include a universalserial bus (USB) port for communications over a cable, a Bluetooth®wireless interface, an radio frequency identification device (RFID)interface, a near field communications (NFC) wireless interface, and/orany other type of interface that converts data from one form to anotherform.

As described below, network device 400 may perform certain operationsrelating to communicating from service provider 230 to UEs 210. Networkdevice 400 may perform these operations in response to processor 420executing software instructions contained in a computer-readable medium,such as memory 430 and/or storage device 440. The software instructionsmay be read into memory 430 from another computer-readable medium orfrom another device. The software instructions contained in memory 430may cause processor 420 to perform processes described herein.Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in place of, or incombination with, software instructions to implement processes describedherein. Thus, implementations described herein are not limited to anyspecific combination of hardware circuitry and software. In anembodiment, the software instructions and/or hardware circuity mayperform the process exemplified by the flows charts in FIG. 6.

Although FIG. 4 shows exemplary components of network device 400, inother implementations, network device 400 may include fewer components,different components, additional components, or differently arrangedcomponents than depicted in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate exemplary configuration tables used to determinea priority associated with UE 210. In one implementation, theconfiguration tables may be stored at base station 220. FIG. 5Aillustrates a configuration table corresponding to a regular or standardcell, FIG. 5B illustrates a configuration table corresponding to a smallcell, and FIG. 5C illustrates a configuration table corresponding to anindustrial IoT cell. A regular or standard cell may correspond to atypical or standard 5G cell. And industrial IoT cell may be configuredto receive and/or support a large number of IoT devices.

Row 502 of FIG. 5A may correspond to the RRC_INACTIVE user number. TheRRC_INACTIVE user number may indicate a capability or threshold of basestation 220 for a regular cell. For example, row 502 of FIG. 5Aillustrates that the RRC_INACTIVE user number may be 200, whichindicates that the maximum number of inactive users that base station220 can support for a regular cell may be 200. As shown in row 512 ofFIG. 5B, for the small cell, the RRC_INACTIVE number that base station220 can support may be 100. For an industrial IoT cell, IoT devices maybe instructed to wake up as soon as possible when the IoT devices arenot in RRC connected state 110. Therefore, as shown in row 522 in FIG.5C, for an industrial IoT cell, there may be no limit on theRRC_INACTIVE user number that base station 220 can support. The numbersshown in FIGS. 5A-5C are exemplary and each base station 220 may storedifferent configuration tables with different RRC_INACTIVE user numbers.

When the RRC_INACTIVE user number has been reached and an additional UE210 attempts to enter RRC inactive state 120, base station 220 maydetermine which UE 210 to transfer to RRC idle state 130 based onpriorities associated with UEs 210. A priority associated with UE 210may be determined based on a number of factors. For example, thepriority may be based on a user type associated with UE 210, aservice/bearer type associated with UE 210, a user history behaviorassociated with UE 210, a user mobile speed associated with UE 210, asubscription or plan level associated with UE 210, and/or additionalpredefined rules or criteria. Base station 220 may determine the usertype, service/bearer type, user history behavior, user mobile speedassociated UE 210, and other factors and may calculate a priority for auser based on these factors.

The user type may indicate the type of device associated with UE 210 andhow UE 210 connects to the network. For example, the user type mayindicate that UE 210 is a mobile device, a mobile computer device, anIoT device, or another type of device. In addition, the user type mayindicate that UE 210 connects to the network via a wireless network, amobile hotspot, WiFi, or another means.

The service/bearer type may indicate what type of service UE 210 mostrecently used. For example, the service/bearer type may indicate that auser associated with UE 210 currently subscribes to a voice service, adata service, a web browsing service, a guaranteed bit rate (GBR)service, a non-guaranteed bit rate (NGBR) service, a combination ofdifferent services, or another type of service.

The user history behavior may indicate how frequently UE 210 attaches toa new base station 220. For example, the user history behavior mayindicate that a user of UE 210 changes locations frequently and,therefore, UE 210 may be handed over to new base stations 220frequently. As another example, the user history behavior may indicatethat a user of UE 210 is stationary for a majority of the day and UE 210is frequently attached to only one or two base stations 220 during atypical day.

The user mobile speed may indicate how fast UE 210 is traveling. Forexample, based on a frequency between base station 220 handovers andbased on a location of base stations 220, base station 220 may determinewhether or not the user of UE 210 is a high speed, traveling user. Inone example, if the handover speed between base stations 220 is quickand base stations 220 are located near a highway, base station 220 maydetermine that UE 210 is traveling in a vehicle on a highway at a fastspeed. In another example, if base station 220 is near a home or anoffice of a user and UE 210 does not attach to new base stations 220frequently, base station 220 may determine that a user of UE 210 is nota high speed traveling user.

Base stations 220 may place a priority order on the criteria whendetermining a priority for UE 210. For example, base station 220 mayweigh different criteria more heavily when determining a priority for UE210. Row 504 of FIG. 5A may indicate a criteria priority order for basestation 220. The criteria priority order may indicate the order of thecriteria that base station 220 will use to rank UE 210. For example, thecriteria order may indicate which criteria is weighed most heavily whendetermining the priority for UE 210. As shown in row 504 of FIG. 5A, forthe regular cell, the most heavily weighted factor when determining apriority for UE 210 may be the user type, followed by user historybehavior, and service type. As shown in row 514 of FIG. 5B, for thesmall cell, the most heavily weighted factor when determining thepriority for UE 210 may be the user history behavior, followed by theservice type and the user type. The small cell may correspond to, forexample, a shopping mall, an office, or a different small space. Thecriteria priority order for the small cell may be different than thecriteria priority order of the regular cell because each base station220 may serve different customers. Therefore, the criteria prioritylevel may change based on where a UE 210 is located. As shown in row 524of FIG. 5C, since the industrial IoT cell may be able to support anunlimited number of RRC inactive UEs 210, the base station 220 may notdetermine a priority for UEs 210. The criteria priority orders shown inFIGS. 5A-5C are exemplary and different criteria priority orders may bestored for different base stations 220.

The user type order may indicate a priority order per user type. Forexample, row 506 of FIG. 5A illustrates that, for the particular regularcell, enterprise fixed wireless access (FWA) users may have the highestpriority, consumer FWA users may have the second highest priority,enterprise mobile users may have the third highest priority, andconsumer mobile users may have the fourth highest priority. In thisexample, the FWA users may have higher priorities than the mobile usersbecause the FWA users do not move as frequently as the mobile users andthe base station 220 may not be required to continuously store newinformation associated with the FWA users. In addition, the enterpriseusers may have a higher demand for services, so the enterprise users mayhave a higher priority than the consumer users. As shown in row 516 ofFIG. 5B, for the particular small cell, the consumer FWA users may havethe highest priority, followed by the consumer mobile users. As shown inrow 526 of FIG. 5C, since the base station 220 may be able to support anunlimited number of RRC inactive UEs 210 in an industry IoT cell, basestation 220 may not determine a priority for UEs 210. The user typeorders shown in FIGS. 5A-5C are exemplary and different user type ordersmay be stored for different base stations 220.

The user history behavior priority may indicate a priority of thedifferent user history behaviors. As shown in row 508 of FIG. 5A and inrow 518 of FIG. 5B, for the particular regular cell and small cell, UEs210 that connect to the network very frequently (e.g., 10 times or moreper minute) may have the highest priority, followed by UEs 210 thatconnect to the network frequently (e.g., between 3 and 10 times perminute) and UEs 210 that connect to the network at a normal rate (e.g.,1 time or less per minute). As shown in row 528 of FIG. 5C, since theindustrial IoT cell may be able to support an unlimited number of RRCinactive UEs 210, the base station 220 may not determine a priority forUEs 210. The user history behavior orders shown in FIGS. 5A-5C areexemplary and different user history behavior orders may be stored fordifferent base stations 220.

The service/bearer type order may indicate the priority order for thelast service/bearer associated with UE 210. As shown in row 510 of FIG.5A and row 520 of FIG. 5B, for the particular regular cell and smallcell, NGBR service customers may have the highest priority, GBR servicecustomers may have the second highest priority, and voice customers mayhave the third highest priority. As shown in row 530 of FIG. 5C, sincethe industrial cell may be able to support an unlimited number of RRCinactive UEs 210, the base station 220 may not determine aservice/bearer type order or priority for UEs 210. The service/bearertype orders shown in FIGS. 5A-5C are exemplary and differentservice/bearer type orders may be stored for different base stations220.

The configuration tables shown in FIGS. 5A-5C may be updated based oncollected data. For example, a prediction model in the self-organizingnetworks (SON) may update a configuration table (e.g., one or more ofconfiguration tables shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B) based on historical dataand patterns associated with the network. For example, if a user with aparticular user history consistently experiences poor service, basestation 220 may adjust the criteria priority order so that the userhistory behavior is the first priority in the criteria priority order.In this way, base station 220 may be able to adjust parameters of theconfiguration table without user intervention based on previous networkdata. For example, the network may be able to adjust the configurationtables using machine learning. In this way, based on customer feedbackand measured network performance, the network may adjust theconfiguration table to achieve the most efficient network with thehighest customer satisfaction.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 600 fordetermining whether to transition UE 210 to RRC inactive state 120 orRRC idle state 130. In one implementation, process 600 may be performedby base station 220.

Process 600 may begin by determining that UE 210 is no longer active(block 602). For example, base station 220 may determine that there hasbeen no active data session between the UE 210 and a base station 220for a period of time. A configuration table associated with a cell whereUE 210 is located may be accessed or identified (block 604). In oneimplementation, based on the type of cell associated with a currentlocation of UE 210, base station 220 may access a correspondingconfiguration table. As an example, if UE 210 is located in a regularcell, base station 220 may access a configuration table similar to theconfiguration table shown in FIG. 5A. As another example, if UE 210 islocated in a small cell (e.g., at a shopping mall, an amusement park, anoffice, etc.), base station 220 may identify a configuration tablesimilar to the configuration table shown in FIG. 5B.

Process 600 may continue by determining whether the RRC_INACTIVE usernumber has been reached for the particular cell (block 606). Forexample, base station 220 may look up the RRC_INACTIVE user number inthe configuration table and compare the maximum number of UEs 210 thatcan be in RRC inactive state 120 with a current number of UEs 210currently in RRC inactive state 120. If the current number of UEs 210 inRRC inactive state 120 is less than the RRC_INACTIVE user number (block606—no), base station 220 may transition UE 210 to RRC inactive state120 (block 616). In this implementation, if the RRC_INACTIVE user numberhas not been reached, base station 220 may not have reached its maximumcapacity for UEs 210 in RRC inactive state 210, so UE 210 may transitionto RRC inactive state 210.

If the current number of UEs 220 in RRC inactive state 120 is equal tothe RRC_INACTIVE user number (block 606—yes), then base station 220 maydetermine a priority for UE 210 (block 608). For example, base station220 may determine parameters associated with UE 210 and may calculate apriority based on the parameters and the configuration table. In oneimplementation, base station 220 may determine a user type, aservice/bearer type, a user history behavior, and a user mobile speedassociated with UE 210. Based on the configuration table, base station220 may determine a priority for UE 210 based on the criteria andweights associated with the criteria. For example, if UE 210 is locatedin a regular cell and UE 210 is a consumer mobile user with a NGBRservice and connects to the network frequently, base station 220 maydetermine a priority associated with UE 210 using the configurationtable shown in FIG. 5A. In this example, base station 220 may determinethat, based on the configuration table shown in FIG. 5A, a consumermobile user may have a priority of 4, a user who accesses the networkfrequently may have a priority of 2, and an NGBR user may have apriority of 1. In addition, based on FIG. 5A, base station 220 maydetermine that the user type priority is given the largest weight (e.g.,50%) when determining a priority for UE 210, followed by the userhistory behavior (e.g., 30%), and the service type (e.g., 20%). Based onparameters associated with UE 210 and the information in theconfiguration table, base station 220 may calculate a priority for UE210.

Continuing with process 600, base station 220 may determine if UE 210has a lower priority than the priorities of each UE 210 associated withbase station 220 that are in the RRC inactive state 120 (block 610). Forexample, base station 220 may compare the priority calculated for UE 210with the priorities calculated for the other UEs 210 in RRC inactivestate 120. In one implementation, the priorities for UEs 210 may becalculated and stored for each UE 210 at the time when each UE 210transitions to RRC inactive state 120. If UE 210 has the lowest priority(block 610—yes), base station 220 may transition UE 210 to RRC idlestate 130. Since base station 220 has reached the maximum number of UEsin RRC inactive state 120, base station 220 may transition UE 210 withthe lowest priority to RRC idle state 130. In this example, since UE 210has the lowest priority, base station 220 may transition UE 210 to RRCidle state 130.

If UE 210 does not have the lowest priority (block 610—no), the UE 210with the lowest priority may be transitioned to RRC idle state 130(block 614) and UE 210 may be transitioned to RRC inactive state 120(block 616). In this example, since a different UE 210 has the lowestpriority, UE 210 may be transitioned to RRC inactive state 120 and thelowest priority UE 210 may be transitioned from RRC inactive state 120to RRC idle state 130.

Process 600 may continue by updating the configuration table based oninformation associated with UE 210 and other UEs (block 618). Forexample, based on factors such as network performance and userexperience, the configuration table may be updated based on theparameters associated with UE 210. Based on machine learning, thenetwork may adjust the parameters and the order of the parameters in theconfiguration table to achieve an efficient network with a high level ofcustomer satisfaction. The system may continue to adjust the parametersas additional UEs 210 transition between states 110, 120, and 130 andadditional information about UEs 210 is obtained. In this way, the modelmay become “smarter” over time and more adjustable to provide a moreefficient network and a higher level of customer satisfaction.

In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims thatfollow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded inan illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

For example, while a series of blocks have been described with respectto FIG. 6, the order of the blocks may be modified in otherimplementations. Further, non-dependent blocks may be performed inparallel.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, as described above, maybe implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, andhardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actualsoftware code or specialized control hardware used to implement thesesystems and methods is not limiting of the embodiments. Thus, theoperation and behavior of the systems and methods were described withoutreference to the specific software code—it being understood thatsoftware and control hardware can be designed to implement the systemsand methods based on the description herein.

Further, certain portions, described above, may be implemented as acomponent that performs one or more functions. A component, as usedherein, may include hardware, such as a processor, an ASIC, or a FPGA,or a combination of hardware and software (e.g., a processor executingsoftware).

It should be emphasized that the terms “comprises”/“comprising” whenused in this specification are taken to specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps or components but does not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,components or groups thereof.

The term “logic,” as used herein, may refer to a combination of one ormore processors configured to execute instructions stored in one or morememory devices, may refer to hardwired circuitry, and/or may refer to acombination thereof. Furthermore, a logic may be included in a singledevice or may be distributed across multiple, and possibly remote,devices.

For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention, it isadditionally noted that the term “substantially” is utilized herein torepresent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed toany quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or otherrepresentation. The term “substantially” is also utilized herein torepresent the degree by which a quantitative representation may varyfrom a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basicfunction of the subject matter at issue.

To the extent the aforementioned embodiments collect, store, or employpersonal information of individuals, it should be understood that suchinformation shall be collected, stored, and used in accordance with allapplicable laws concerning protection of personal information.Additionally, the collection, storage and use of such information may besubject to consent of the individual to such activity, for example,through well known “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes as may be appropriatefor the situation and type of information. Storage and use of personalinformation may be in an appropriately secure manner reflective of thetype of information, for example, through various encryption andanonymization techniques for particularly sensitive information.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application shouldbe construed as critical or essential to the embodiments unlessexplicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” isintended to include one or more items. Further, the phrase “based on” isintended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly statedotherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a basestation, an indication that a user device associated with the basestation has been inactive for a period of time; determining, by the basestation, that a number of second user devices that are in a RadioResource Control (RRC) inactive state equals a threshold number of userdevices, wherein the threshold number is associated with the basestation; determining, by the base station, a first priority associatedwith the user device and a second priority associated with each seconduser device of the second user devices; and transitioning, by the basestation, the user device to the RRC inactive state when the firstpriority associated with the user device is higher than each secondpriority.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transitioningthe user device to an RRC idle state when the first priority associatedwith the user device is lower than each second priority.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein transitioning the user device to the RRC inactivestate further comprises: transitioning the second user device with alowest second priority to an RRC idle state.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the first priority associated with the user device is based onat least one of a user type associated with the user device, a serviceor bearer type associated with the user device, a user history behaviorassociated with the user device, or a user mobile speed associated withthe user device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the firstpriority associated with the user device comprises: determining aplurality of third priorities, wherein each third priority correspondsto a parameter associated with the user device; assigning a weight toeach third priority; and determining the first priority based on theweighted third priorities.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thethreshold number is based on a capacity associated with the basestation.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold number is basedon a size or type of a cell associated with the base station.
 8. Asystem comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive anindication that a user device associated with a base station has beeninactive for a period of time; determine that a number of second userdevices that are in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state equalsa threshold number of user devices, wherein the threshold number isassociated with the base station; determine a first priority associatedwith the user device and a second priority associated with each seconduser device of the second user devices; and transition the user deviceto the RRC inactive state when the first priority associated with theuser device is higher than each second priority.
 9. The system of claim8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:transition the user device to an RRC idle state when the first priorityassociated with the user device is lower than each second priority. 10.The system of claim 8, wherein, when transitioning the user device tothe RRC inactive state, the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to: transition the second user device with a lowest secondpriority to an RRC idle state.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein thefirst priority associated with the user device is based on at least oneof a user type associated with the user device, a service or bearer typeassociated with the user device, a user history behavior associated withthe user device, or a user mobile speed associated with the user device.12. The system of claim 8, wherein, when determining the first priorityassociated with the user device, the one or more processors are furtherconfigured to: determine a plurality of third priorities, wherein eachthird priority corresponds to a parameter associated with the userdevice; assign a weight to each third priority; and determine the firstpriority based on the weighted third priorities.
 13. The system of claim8, wherein the threshold number is based on a capacity associated withthe base station.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the thresholdnumber is based on a size or type of a cell associated with the basestation.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium to storeinstructions, the instructions comprising: one or more instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: receive anindication that a user device associated with a base station has beeninactive for a period of time; determine that a number of second userdevices that are in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state equalsa threshold number of user devices, wherein the threshold number isassociated with the base station; determine a first priority associatedwith the user device and a second priority associated with each seconduser device of the second user devices; and transition the user deviceto the RRC inactive state when the first priority associated with theuser device is higher than each second priority.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions furthercomprise one or more instructions that cause the processor to:transition the user device to an RRC idle state when the first priorityassociated with the user device is lower than each second priority. 17.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the oneor more instructions that cause the processor to transition the userdevice to the RRC idle state comprise one or more instructions thatcause the processor to transition the second user device with a lowestsecond priority to an RRC idle state.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first priorityassociated with the user device is based on at least one of a user typeassociated with the user device, a service or bearer type associatedwith the user device, a user history behavior associated with the userdevice, or a user mobile speed associated with the user device.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one ormore instructions that cause the processor to determine the firstpriority associated with the user device comprise one or moreinstructions that cause the processor to: determine a plurality of thirdpriorities, wherein each third priority corresponds to a parameterassociated with the user device; assign a weight to each third priority;and determine the first priority based on the weighted third priorities.20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein thethreshold number is based on a capacity associated with the basestation.